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25
Of the 470 infants fed from the Milk Depot 347 were admitted
during 1911, of the children admitted during the year 346 were
more or less seriously ill on admission from various ailments.
The state of health on admission of the infants' fed from the
Milk Depôt during the year are classified in the Registers as
follows:—
Good health, 57; immaturity and prematurity, 21; congenital
syphilis, 17; indigestion, 28; diarrhoea, 47; malnutrition, 25;
sickness, 5; wasting, 41; rickets, 9; congenital debility, 35; bronchitis
and pneumonia, 10; tuberculosis, 6; anaemia, 1; teething, 2;
constipation, 13; whooping-cough, 3; opthhalmia, 1; epileptic, 1;
infantile paralysis, 1; measles, 1; thrush, 3; hare-lip and cleft palate
2; eczema, 2; meningitis, 2; other diseases, 6; no information, 7.
The great majority of the children fed from the Milk Depot
were not as in past years, it will be seen from the above list, from a
normal population. There was a considerable increase in the
number of depot fed infants suffering from diarrhœa in 1911 as
compared with previous years, owing to the abnormal meteorological
conditions prevailing in that year.
The total number of deaths amongst the children fed from
the milk depot was 56 giving a death-rate of 119 as compared with
124 the general infantile mortality for the Borough. The rate was
considerably higher than in 1910, and is accounted for by the
very large number of sick children who were admitted during the
year. No less than 17 {i.e. 30 per cent.) of the dead children were
taking the milk for one week or under, some of them only for a day
or two, having as a last resort been given this food. It is of course
impossible to regard the infants fed on the Milk Depot as a normal
infant population nor on the other hand can the method of calculating
the death-rate be considered satisfactory, for reasons
pointed out in previous annual reports.
The two weighing-rooms which have been provided by the
courtesy of the Baths Committee at the Latchmere Road and Nine
Elms Baths have proved of much service in connection with the
Council's Infants Milk Depôt and the work of the Health Visitors
during the year. The weighing-room at the Latchmere Baths
which is very centrally situate is open on two afternoons a week,
and that at the Nine Elms Baths, one afternoon a week, the hours
of attendance being from 3 o'clock to 5. The children are brought
by the mothers to be weighed weekly or fortnightly and the practice
has proved a very popular feature of the Council's efforts in the
prevention of Infant Mortality. By this means a continuous
supervision is maintained over the children fed from the Milk
Depot, the weight of each child being recorded and its progress
noted. The mothers sre also advised by the Health Visitors in
such cases as may be found necessary and any serious deviations